Announcement made on Basant Panchmi at Tehri Royal Court in Narendra Nagar
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Jan: The portals of Badrinath Dham, one of the most revered Char Dham shrines of Sanatan Dharma, will open for devotees on 23 April at 6.15 a.m. with due religious rituals and the chanting of Vedic hymns. As per long-established tradition, the date and auspicious mahurat for the opening of the shrine are announced every year on the occasion of Basant Panchami, ahead of Akshaya Tritiya, on which the annual Char Dham Yatra formally begins. It may also be noted here that the portals of Rudranath temple will open on 18 May.
The announcement was made on the occasion of Basant Panchami today at the Tehri royal court in Narendra Nagar, where the royal priest, on the basis of Panchang calculations, formally declared the date and time for the opening of the portals. In 2025, the portals of Badrinath Dham were opened on 4 May and remained accessible to pilgrims till November, while in 2026 the opening has been scheduled earlier, on 23 April.
It may be reminded here that Badrinath Dham, located in Chamoli district, is dedicated to Lord Badri Narayan, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. The temple enshrines a 3.3-foot idol of Lord Badri Vishal carved out of Shaligram stone, which, according to belief, was retrieved from Narad Kund and installed by Adi Shankaracharya in the seventh century. In Hindu tradition, this idol is regarded as one of the eight Swayam Vyakta Kshetras, or self-manifested forms of Lord Vishnu. Though the shrine is located in northern India, the chief priest, known as the Rawal, traditionally belongs to the Nambudiri Brahmin community of Kerala, underscoring the unique spiritual traditions associated with Badrinath.
Meanwhile, the portals of Rudranath, revered as the fourth Kedarnath, will open for pilgrims on 18 May. The date was announced at the Gopinath Temple in Gopeshwar following Panchang calculations conducted in the presence of Brahmins and hak-hakukdhari priests at the winter seat of Lord Rudranath on the occasion of Vasant Panchami.
As per customary traditions, the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham will open on Akshaya Tritiya, while the date for the opening of the portals of Kedarnath Dham will be announced on Mahashivratri. With the annual Char Dham Yatra drawing closer, preparations are steadily gaining momentum across Uttarakhand.
According to ancient religious belief, worship at Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath is performed only during the six-month summer period, after which the shrines remain closed during the winter months owing to heavy snowfall in the higher Himalayan regions. The deities are worshipped during the winter months at their respective winter abodes.
